The Happiest Man in America: A Tall Asian Jew in Hawaii

Having every day for the past three years polled 1,000 randomly selected American adults on their quality of life, the polling firm Gallup believes it has has ascertained what things make a life in the United States "the good life." Jews are happier than Catholics, for instance. And taller men are happier than shorter men.

Using the data obtained and a formula called the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, researchers were able to put together an interactive map of where joy is the highest and lowest in America. They were also able to give The New York Times a description of what the happiest person in the country probably looks like. Firstly, that person is a man. But also: "He's a tall, Asian-American, observant Jew who is at least 65 and married, has children, lives in Hawaii, runs his own business and has a household income of more than $120,000 a year."

Go here to read the Times interview with a man who fits that description.